Dr. L. H. Hiranandani Jawhrani: Welcome Sir! It is said that previously you were known as Lakhoomal Hiranand Kandhari. How did you switch over from Kandhari to Hiranandani? Dr. L. H.: After the fall of King Dahar, Sindh became part of the Islamic world. Previously, Brahmins were present in great numbers in Sindh and used to dot the landscape. Arabs, being wary of their knowledge and clout, killed all of them and thus literally cleared Sindh of all the Hindus. It is said, that Sindhis then came from outside. We Bhatias, are known to have come from Jaisalmer. Jaisalmer is a barren land and bereft of water. The people living there migrated to areas where they could have access to water and for this simple reason they preferred Sindh and settled near the banks of the river Indus. The people of Jaisalmer were known as Bhati which became Bhatia, once they came to Sindh. Some of them had also gone to Punjab and presently Bhatias live in Sindh as well as Punjab. Bhatias are then divided into various sub castes, such as Assar Pota or Khinara. We belong to the Khinara sub- caste. Sindhis, even in those early days, were quite enterprising, and for business purposes traveled abroad quite often. My great grandfather's several sojourns to Kandhar on regular basis gave our family the name Kandhari . Jawhrani: And so from Bhatia to Kandhari and from Kandhari to Hiranandani, perhaps from your father’s name- ‘Hiranand’. Dr. L. H. : Yes. Jawhrani: Can we have some more details about your family? Dr. L. H. : I belonged to an uneducated and poor family. I myself was uneducated in the beginning. The school in Thatta provided education upto fifth standard only. People of Thatta, being poor, had to go to far off places in search of decent earnings. The officers of our city used to wear a hat and a necktie, and I envied them. I, being a poor boy, couldn't afford such apparel and used to wonder when I would be able to do so! I firmly decided to be like those affluent people and for that I needed education. First of all, I had to be a matriculate for which I had to go to the city of Karachi. In a local school we had to pay the tuition fee of one anna, and even that I couldn't afford. I used to bring water from a well and save one anna. You can very well imagine our financial position during those days. -51- Jawhrani: You belonged to a poor family of Thatta. Any other memory of Thatta? Dr. L. H. : Most of Thatta's residents were uneducated. Whoever was educated could get government employment. Those people were known as 'Amils'. Jawhrani: What is the difference between an 'Amil' and a 'Bhaiband'? Dr. L. H. : They differ quite a lot from each other. When Britishers took over Sindh, the educated people were absorbed in government services. Against that, Bhaibands were mostly uneducated and worked as zamindars or businessmen. A businessman had to travel abroad in order to multiply his holdings like the Hinduja’s and Chainrais. Zamindars usually invested all their earnings in fresh acquisition of agricultural lands, 500 acres to 1000 acres, leaving them literally with no cash at all. The educated people were employed as government servants and known as 'Amils'. Jawhrani: The people in Sindh were quite well to do, financially. They also actively took part in the independence movement. Were they aware that independence would bring Partition and result in uprooting them from their ancestral homes? Dr. L. H. : Absolutely not. There was no differentiation between Hindus and Muslims. While I was in Thatta or in Karachi, I never experienced any hatred from the other community. We used to take part in Muslim religious festivities, like Eid or Ashoora. They, in turn, participated in our Diwali and other festivals. Our ladies went around freely in the city and no one could dare cast an evil eye on them. Jawhrani: After attending local school from where did you matriculate? Dr. L. H. : My mother was an illiterate poor lady. There was not enough food at home. At times, we just had rice and when we went to the kitchen at night because of hunger, we would only see upturned empty vessels. Such was life! However, it has been a centuries old tradition amongst Sindhis to save and accumulate gold as a hedge against difficult times. So when I requested my mother for Rs. 200/- for my matriculation at Karachi she sold 20 tolas of gold and just about managed the sum. In Karachi, I didn’t have adequate funds to stay in a lodge so I lived in dharamsalas and on the roads and sat under lamp-posts, to study -52- Dr. L. H. Hiranandani under the street lights. And in this way, I completed my matriculation in Karachi. Jawhrani: Was then the realization of your goal a burning desire? Dr. L. H. : I just wanted to be like others. If others could succeed, why not me? When I came back to Thatta, I was married to a girl from the Karani family of Thatta, who had 4 daughters. They were quite affluent people. Just two or three families could be counted as well- to-do families in Thatta. My wife was very beautiful and just 13 years old. At that time it was very much common to get daughters married at that tender age. Jawhrani: Even at the age of 13 years? Dr. L. H. : Yes. Even my sister was married at the age of 11. The Karanis liked me, because I was a matriculate. Jawhrani: I suppose your wealth was education. Dr. L. H. : In those days, a matriculate was regarded as a highly educated person. It made matrimonial alliance with an affluent family possible. Had the unsuspecting girl known that, there was shortage of even food in our house she would have probably refused to get married into such a poor family. I requested my father-in-law to be, Shri Jamnadas, to help me with my higher studies, to which he readily agreed. How could I become a doctor? For this I had to go to Bombay. My father-in-law chipped in with fifty rupees a month. After completing the medical degree course, I wanted to be an F.R.C.S. I was in awe of these surgeons, who wore nice clothes, a tie and a hat and drove in large vehicles. I also wanted to be like them and drive an American car. Jawhrani: Were you not acquainted with very rich and famous people, like Mr. Mohd. Ali Jinnah, in Bombay? Dr. L. H. : Yes. I had very good relations with Mr. Mohd. Ali Jinnah, as well as Governor of Bombay Presidency, Sir John Kalwin, a Britisher. When I came back to Bombay after completing my F.R.C.S. from England, I was called by Mohd. Ali Jinnah. He was suffering from an ENT problem, which he had discussed with Dr. Charl Putton. He wanted to consult only an F.R.C.S. surgeon and luckily at the time, I was the only F.R.C.S. in Bombay. The partition of India, was not far away. When I examined him, I was very much impressed with his personality. He was not an ordinary man. Once -53- the Governor of Bombay Presidency, Sir John, also called me and slowly and gradually I became famous throughout the country. Many International political bigwigs used to consult me. Ministers from Burma, China were my regular patients. Shaikh Abdullah of Kashmir too, was a regular visitor. You just go through my autobiography. A boy of 15 years was to be hanged there. I saved his life, pleaded with Shaikh Abdullah, who initially commuted it to life-imprisonment, and later he was acquitted. I arranged for his employment with the government. His name was Rashid and presently he is Inspector General of Police. Recently, he was here after a gap of 24 years and he was asking others, whether Dr. Hiranandani is still alive? This story was reported in the daily 'Afternoon', too. Jawhrani: People say, you charge hefty fees from well-to-do people. Is this true? Dr. L. H. : Look, when I was in Nair Hospital, I didn't charge anything. I have served more than any other doctor in Nair Hospital. People will vouch for that. Whenever people from lower strata visit me for treatment, be they constables, peons, clerks, etc. I offer my services free of cost. But after all, I too have to make both ends meet. How can I run my house, if I never charge anybody? Someone has to foot the bill. Once, Shammi Kapoor came to me for an operation of his nose. He asked me about the charges. I told him it would be five thousand rupees. He remarked that it was an exorbitant amount. As this incident is about forty odd years old, you can appreciate that in those days, five thousand rupees was not a meager sum. I replied, yes, but his nose could bear that much expenditure and if it became half its present size, would he look good? He readily agreed but even today whenever he meets me, he reiterates that I had charged him heavily. Once, Shirley Mclaine came to Bombay. Suddenly, she developed a cold and was very much irritated with her ailment. She contacted her Hollywood doctors and wanted to know whom to contact in Bombay. Jawhrani: I think, Dev Anand had brought her to you...